Guardian Angel

Icon Holy Card

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ZPCP501

Personalized holy card
30 piece minimum.

Cards: $0.35
Setup fee: $8.00

cards

$18.50

Size (in inches):

3 x 5

Item Details:

The belief that an angel is assigned by God to protect each person was not clearly defined in the Old Testament. In the New Testament church, the concept is supported by passages found in Acts 12:15 (They said, [in reference to Peter] “It is his angel.”) and Mt. 18:10 (“Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven”). The idea was further fostered by Honorius of Autun in the 12th century. He maintained that every soul was assigned a guardian angel at the moment the soul entered into a body. Guardian angels also are attributed with the task of the presentation of prayers to God as indicated in the Book of Revelation (8:3): And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. The Church celebrates the feast of the Guardian Angels every Oct. 2.

Icon holy cards are 3" x 5", a convenient size for use as gifts or bookmarks. The backs are blank except for a faint colophon at the bottom, leaving plenty of room for custom imprinting with your own message.

Image Origins

Angels have always been popular in iconography because of the many references to them in the Scriptures. The Scriptures picture angels in a variety of ways: six-winged creatures (Isaiah 6:2; Revelation 4:8), white-clothed young men (Mt 28:2-3; Mark 16:5; Luke 24:4, and even eye-covered wheels (Ezekiel 10:12). The idea of a winged messenger of the gods comes from ancient Sumeria and no doubt influenced the Hebrews. Other pre-Christian sources can be found in art of the Greek messenger god Hermes (Mercury). There also are many icons which depict St. John the Baptist with wings since he is the messenger who heralded the coming of Christ.
Portraits of the Archangels Gabriel and Michael are quite common in iconography. The iconostasis of every Orthodox church features these Archangels in the Deisis row in positions closest to Mary and St. John the Baptist. This guardian angel icon by Sr. Paula Kiersey, OCSO is based on one of those depictions. Specifically, it has been modeled on an Archangel Gabriel icon by Br. Robert Lentz, OFM.

Theology and Symbolism

The belief that an angel is assigned by God to protect each person was not clearly defined in the Old Testament. In the New Testament church, the concept is supported by passages found in Acts 12:15 (They said, [in reference to Peter] “It is his angel.”) and Mt. 18:10 (“Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven”). The idea was further fostered by Honorius of Autun in the 12th century. He maintained that every soul was assigned a guardian angel at the moment the soul entered into a body. Guardian angels also are attributed with the task of the presentation of prayers to God as indicated in the Book of Revelation (8:3): "And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel." The Church celebrates the feast of the Guardian Angels every Oct. 2.

Most depictions of angels in traditional iconography are practically interchangeable. The genderless appearance of the face and hair remind us that these are spiritual beings, not human persons, and their anonymity indicates the sheer multitude of God’s heavenly attendants. No attempt is made to present wings in a realistic fashion since their purpose is only to point to the supernatural origin of these creatures. Often times the outer feathers are stylized gold and the under feathers are painted in a bright pastel color.

The curls which appear in the angel’s hair, symbolize the eternal ebb and flow of time ordered by God. A tiara is positioned in the hair just above the forehead. The turquoise ribbons which secure the headpiece are shown flowing outward at the sides of the head. Both the crown and the scepter or staff in the angel’s right hand are symbols of the authority entrusted to this heavenly messenger. The staff helps to create a module—that is, a geometric structure for the icon—which forms a triangle between the hand, the scroll and the face.

Most guardian angels are depicted wearing white to denote purity and the eternal light of heaven. This angel wears purple and green. In the East, green is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and indicates the springtime of the Spirit that blows where it will. It also represents hope and the vigilance of God’s hosts for us.

The scroll the angel’s hand contains a quotation from Psalm 91:11—“God has given his angels charge over you to guard you in all your ways”. This phrase and image prompt us to contemplate the great love and care God has for each of us. This Guardian Angel image is ideal for a child’s bedroom, or for anyone who wishes to contemplate the steadfast love of the Father for all humankind.

Proceeds from the Printery House help to support the monks of Conception Abbey and Conception Seminary College, where young men receive an accredited college education as they study in preparation for the Catholic priesthood.

The Printery House is making every effort to protect the environment by using papers that either contain recycled content or have been purchased from paper mills which practice responsible forestry stewardship. All in-house paper scrap from the production process is recycled.

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